


Scars

by rayy



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Eventual Loki/Tony Stark, Implied/Referenced Torture, Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Protective Avengers, Protective Thor (Marvel), Psychological Torture, Slow Build, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-06-19 07:33:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15505473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rayy/pseuds/rayy
Summary: Hidden underneath layers of leather, lies, intricately woven words, and masks is a broken, vulnerable god.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at Marvel/Avengers fanfiction. I apologize in advance for any misspelling, incorrect references, and inaccuracies that may occur. I will try my best to proofread and beta as much as I can. Thank you in advance for reading.
> 
> EDIT: Made some changes to Chapter 1 to make flow and continuity better.

_ “I’m here.” _

Thor beamed at his brother who, until recently, he thought lost. Lost in so many ways yet still displayed acts of true heroism and loyalty when he brought the cargo ship to Asgard and fought off Hela’s soldiers to protect the people.

“Father would be proud of you, brother,” Thor said quietly as he adjusted his eyepatch for the hundredth time.

“No, brother. He would be proud of you,” Loki stated, a sad smile hanging on his weary face as his eyes found Thor’s and spoke of emotions words could not express. Thor nodded and spoke no further of what his- their father would have thought of their actions.

“Come, let us address the Asgardian people,” Thor led the way back to the main cargo hold where the surviving Asgardians had taken shelter in. Loki followed behind Thor by several feet as he did not feel as though he had earned the right to stand beside him. Not yet.

“We have set course for Midgard, My King,” Heimdall announced as Thor approached the front of the ship. Thor nodded before turning to face the room. Loki quietly made his way off to the side, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms as he watched everyone in the hall fall into silence.

Loki listened as Thor informed everyone of the technicalities of the ship, including where certain facilities are and where to stay away from. He also gave a thorough explanation as to the events that led up to Ragnarok. Introductions were made for Brunnhilde, the Valkyrie, Dr. Banner, Korg, and the remaining survivors of Korg’s Rebellion.

“If I may, My King,” a voice called from the crowd and all eyes turned to a mother clutching her two daughters who clung to her skirts.

“Speak freely,” Thor nodded.

“I wish to thank Prince Loki, My King, for without his help myself and my dear children would have suffered greatly under the wrath of Hela.”

Loki looked up to face the room once his mind had registered that not only did someone speak his name, but address him as “Prince”. Several eyes drifted from the woman to him and suddenly Loki felt less invisible than he intended to be. He sent a nervous glance over to Thor who was smiling, giving a slight tilt of his head as if to nudge Loki towards replying. Clearing his throat, Loki struggled to find the proper words.

“Your thanks is much appreciated but unnecessary,” Loki spoke with as much strength as he could muster. In truth, he was very unaccustomed to being thanked, being the center of attention, and being seen under a positive light. He had never had the favor of the Asgardians and grew used to being ignored.

“Necessary or unnecessary, what you did will never be forgotten,” the woman said with a soft smile, bowing her head in a sign of respect. Loki returned the gesture before looking to Thor who nodded and began providing details about daily tasks for various people, ship maintenance jobs that needed to be done, and food inventory that needed to be accounted for. Loki took this chance to slip silently out of the room and teleport directly into his chambers.

A flash of green enveloped his body and his Sakaarian armor was replaced with an oversized dark green tunic and slim black pants. Just as Loki was about to call a tome to his hand with his magic, a knock on the door made him pause.

“What do you want, Thor,” Loki sighed as we took a seat on his bed, leaning against the headboard with a tome appearing on his lap as Thor opened the door and closed it behind him.

“I wanted to ask you something,” Thor made his way over to Loki and sat down at the foot of the bed by Loki’s feet. His one eye was lidded with worry and Loki felt his blood run cold, colder than it usually was as he somehow knew what Thor was there to inquire about.

“Brother, please … don’t ask this of me,” Loki pleaded in a voice so soft he hardly heard himself say the words, but Thor shook his head.

“I must know what is to come if I am to ensure the safety of our people, of our friends, and especially of you,” Thor said.

“If you wish to know what is to come, surely I can spare you the details of the past,” Loki said in an attempt to redirect the conversation towards less painful topics.

“I understand you do not wish to divulge what occured to you, but I am your brother. No matter what happens, no matter what happened, I will love you no less,” Thor promised, placing a hand over his heart.

They looked at each other in silence for several seconds before Loki set the tome on his lap aside and slowly swung his legs off the bed to stand before Thor. Loki closed his eyes and with a flash of bright green his tunic disappeared to reveal marred alabaster skin. Thor did not speak, but his eye said everything. He slowly stood from the bed and stepped towards Loki who flinched and took a hurried step back only to realize that Thor meant him no harm. A warm, calloused hand fell on his shoulder as Thor took inventory of his injuries. His scars.

Across the front of Loki’s chest were an array of stab wounds in various stages of healing, bruises in scattered blotches, several long, open gashes likely from a whip of some sort, and burn wounds that were bright red against pale skin. On his upper arms were slashes from a knife and jagged claw marks that ran from his shoulder to his forearm.

Thor opened his mouth to say something but Loki cut him off with a shake of his head and turned around to reveal a back so cut up with whip slashes, knife scars, bruises, and worst of all an unhealed circle of skin above his left shoulder blade. The skin had blisters and was inflamed, raw, and bleeding in some areas. Loki’s spine was clearly visible under the warm glow of the room, a sign of malnourishment or perhaps lack thereof.

Thor placed both hands, hesitatingly, on Loki’s shoulderblades just as a tear rolled down his single good eye.

“Brother … I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Loki murmured with a small shake of his head before he was once again enveloped in green light and his tunic appeared on his body, all signs of prolonged torture invisible to the world as Loki intended.

“Had I searched more carefully for you after you fell, perhaps I could have-”

“No, Thor. This is not your fault. I was the one who let go only to land in the hands of Thanos.”

A dark look appeared on Thor’s face as his eyebrows furrowed into a menacing snarl.

“Thanos will pay dearly for laying his hands on you. I swear to you I will avenge you and-”

“Avenge me? Against a Titan? I fear that losing one eye has caused you to lose sight of the bigger picture, brother. Thanos is more powerful than anyone or anything you have encountered. He would destroy you as he nearly did me. I did not show you the evidence of my suffering to have you experience the same.”

“How did you survive,” Thor asked, his expression softening as he beckoned for Loki to take a seat at the edge of the bed with him.

“I did what I had to do to survive, however Thanos has ways of manipulating the mind, tearing it apart and burning it to pieces. I did what I could to retain some shred of myself, but it was my body that could not bear the ripping apart. I lost count of how many times I was left bleeding out on the table in Ebony Maw’s torture chamber, how many times a knife was plunged into my paralyzed body. I forgot how to live and only knew of pain and suffering.”

Loki felt a faint warmth against his face and realized that tears had began falling from his glistening green eyes. A wave of his hand and a dim flash of green restored his face to its normal state, however the same could not be said about Thor. A heavy stream of tears flowed from his good eye and he brought a hand to the back of Loki’s head, pushing Loki to forward until Loki’s head was resting on broad, warm shoulders.

“You are alive, that is all that matters. You are alive and I will allow no further pain or suffering to fall upon you.”

“Thor, you can’t promise such fantasies,” Loki murmured into Thor’s shoulder.

“I can try.”

Loki let out a broken laugh and pushed himself upright to look Thor in the eye.

“Promise me you won’t seek out Thanos.”

“Brother, Thanos must be stopped.”

“I agree, but not by you alone. We will need an army to face Thanos, but even then I fear that may not be enough. He has the Chitauri, Ebony Maw, numerous other followers that wield strength equal to yours.”

“Why-”

“Thor!” Banner burst into Loki’s room with fear etched on his face. Loki and Thor stood up abruptly, muscles tense with uncertainty over the purpose of Banner’s sudden appearance.

“What is it, Dr. Banner.”

“We have visitors.”

Loki armor, black leather with green accents and golden trims and intricate layers, appeared with his golden horned helmet perched atop his head. His signature daggers were summoned into his hand and Thor followed behind Banner as they ran back towards the main cargo hold.

Asgardians were huddled on one side of the cargo hold in an attempt to get as far away from the hooded figures standing at one end of the room. Thor, Banner, and Loki emerged from a corridor and immediately took their places between the three figures and the Asgardian people. Brunnhilde and Heimdall appeared beside Thor after making their way through the crowd of people behind them. 

“Who are you and why have you come,” Thor snarled, sparks of lightning dancing between his fingertips.

“It is not who we are that is important, it is who we have come for,” the middle of the three hooded figures spoke, the voice slippery and deep and so familiar to Loki that his face paled. His body froze in place as the face of Ebony Maw appeared beneath the black cloak, a wicked grin sending chills as well as fear coursing through his body.

In his mind, Loki saw endless sessions of pain, unbearable physical and psychological suffering, a scorching heat and intangible darkness. His mind faltered at the sight of his torturer, the creature who broke him into pieces, put him back together, then tore him apart in an endless cycle of unrelenting agony.

“Leave, or you will be forced to,” Thor clenched his fist and bolts of lightning began traveling from his hand to dance up and down his armor.

“You think you can threaten me?”

Ebony Maw raised his hand and as he was about to summon some form of deadly magic, Loki stepped in front of Thor with his arms spread, his daggers slipping from his hand back into his pocket dimension and his helmet glistening off his head. At that moment, his fear of Maw became second to his fear of losing his brother, his only family. Loki knew Maw, and Maw knew Loki. There was no outcome to the current situation that resulted in zero casualties unless ...

“Brother-”

“Shut up, Thor. Let me handle this.”

“So good to see you again, my little prince. I do miss hearing your screams,” Ebony Maw grinned, clearly pleased with Loki’s response at the threat of his magic against Thor.

Loki stiffened and felt Thor attempt to push past him but Loki held his ground, keeping Thor behind him as he addressed Maw.

“I will go with you, but Thor and everyone aboard this vessel will remain unharmed,” Loki said, his voice strengthening with the single goal of keeping everyone alive in mind. He knew from the beginning that he was not part of the end game, only a pawn in the grand scheme of things. It was Thor who had to live on, to rebuild Asgard and lead the people to a brighter future.

“Very well, my pet. I will grant you this request,” Maw said.

“Loki, don’t do this!” Thor roughly turned Loki around and gripped his shoulders tightly. Loki gave Thor one last smile, placing a hand on Thor’s cheek and relishing the warmth against the palm of his hand before pushing the blade of a dagger he slipped from Thor’s belt into Thor’s side. Through eyes glistening with tears, Loki felt a pain in his chest he never knew he could feel as Thor’s eyes widened with realization and was pushed back into the arms of Heimdall and Brunnhilde. 

“Loki-”

“Watch my idiot brother for me, Heimdall,” Loki murmured, his voice broken and the pain in his chest tightening. With a wave of his hand, a shimmer of green-tinted light appeared in the form of a barrier separating Loki from the Thor, Banner, Brunnhilde, Heimdall, and the rest of the Asgardians. 

“NO!” 

Despite his injury, Thor flung himself at the barrier and banged his fists against it with all his might, tears streaming down face. The two hooded figures stepped forward and fastened a metal cuff around Loki’s neck and attached a chain to the ring in the back before handing the end of the chain to Maw, who gave it a sharp tug. Loki stumbled backwards but did not avert his eyes from Thor. Brunnhilde and Heimdall made no attempts to stop Thor as he pounded at the barrier. Banner looked torn between rage and despair, green creeping from underneath the collar of his shirt.

A dark, shimmering void appeared behind Maw and as Loki was pulled into it, he gave Thor one final smile before he vanished when the void winked out of existence. The barrier Loki called forth disappeared and a faint whisper of Loki’s voice filled the air.

_ Goodbye, Brother. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy.

_Sir, Miss Potts is on the line._

“Tell her I’ll call her back in a bit,” Tony said, struggling to pry a panel off of the latest model of his Iron Man suit. Ever since the fight with the so-called “Team Cap”, Tony spent days upon days making alterations and improvements to his suit. He also threw himself into manufacturing an exoskeleton for the purpose of medical rehabilitation. Rhodey’s fall made Tony realize that the tech he created was only as useful as the user, and he vowed to never ever let anyone suffer at the failure of his technology.

_Miss Potts has put an appointment on your calendar in an hour from now titled “Call me back or I am revising my claim on the tower from 12% to 50%”._

Tony couldn’t help but smile. Pepper was as ruthless as she was understanding, something he will never stop loving about her.

“Thanks J. Send her some flowers from that store she likes.”

_Consider it done, Sir._

Straightening up from his hunched-over position, Tony reached over to his side to gulp down the remnants of his coffee. It was a little past five in the evening and although there were no windows in the workshop, JARVIS made every attempt to inform Tony of the time via numerous clocks on the wall and an announcement every hour.

“What was the last thing I ate, J?”

_That would be the pizza from yesterday._

“Oh. I haven’t even hit the 24 hour mark yet. Is that a record?”

_That was yesterday at nine in the morning, Sir. I’m afraid you have not consumed anything for 32 hours._

“So is that a record?”

The silence spoke words -- JARVIS disapproved of Tony’s lack of self-care. Forgetting to eat, sleep, shower, and interact with human beings was normal for Tony and JARVIS, who took Tony’s welfare very seriously, could only scold him so many times.

 _Sir_ -

“Alright alright, I’ll go eat so-”

_Sir, I am detecting an object entering our atmosphere at an alarming rate. Destination of impact, Norway. Estimated time of impact 20 minutes._

Tony stood abruptly and tossed his now empty coffee mug at DUM-E, who managed to catch it within its claws. Tony mentally reminded himself that DUM-E deserved an upgrade, maybe a second arm.

As the suit enveloped his body, Tony analyzed the information JARVIS called up on his HUD. There was a countdown in the corner that had Tony itching to take to the skies.

“How long to reach Norway?”

_I have disabled all unnecessary functions and routed main power to the thrusters. If you decrease repulsor usage, you should be able to reach Norway with 2 minutes before impact._

Tony grumbled at the lousy statistics but made no verbal comment as he engaged the thrusters and took off into the sky through the door in the ceiling JARVIS opened. During the flight, JARVIS and Tony discussed viable options in slowing the object’s descent while JARVIS simultaneously coordinated with the Norwegian government to hold all offensive actions until Tony could determine whether or not the object (and whatever is on it/in it) was hostile.

_The object will be visible in 43 seconds._

Tony tried to ignore the chill of the air as he shot through the sky. An object falling from the sky was hardly his priority, but considering the last thing to fall from the sky, specifically via wormhole, Tony didn’t want to take any chances.

“JARVIS, if things turn South, call Rhodey and Pepper. Let them know what’s going on. And … “ Tony paused and with the whistling of the wind to accompany his conflicting feelings, he sighed and continued,” call Cap.”

After a moment, JARVIS responded with a curt _Yes, sir._

His HUD abruptly began flashing red to alert Tony that he was about to intercept the object’s descent path. Tony yelped and did a backwards flip in mid-air and barely avoided being knocked out of the sky. Upon backing up, Tony realized that the object hurtling down towards the ground in front of him was a ship -- a very large, very alien spaceship.

“Alright J, deploy thruster bots,” Tony called. Immediately, several tennis-ball sized devices flew out of the back of his suit and engaged their thrusters, flying down and attaching themselves to the bottom of the ship. Tony flew after them and together, he and the portable thruster bots released full output.

JARVIS kept Tony informed of the ships velocity as with every second it slowly decreased until just 200 feet above a grassy Norwegian plain, the ship was pushed upright. Several of the thruster bots detached and reattached themselves so that the ship was stabilized enough to be slowly brought down.

“JARVIS, disengage!” Tony called just as he was about to be crushed under the weight of the giant spaceship. He flew out from underneath and let the bots do the rest of the lifting. With a ground-shaking thud, the thruster bots shot out from underneath the ship just as it plopped onto the ground. They flew back into the compartment in Tony’s suit and behind him, sirens could be heard as Norwegian police made their way over.

_Shall I call Captain Rogers, Sir?_

“Not yet, let’s see who we’re dealing with,” Tony said after a pause, doing some re-routing of his suit’s power so that his repulsors, now raised and aimed at the door of the ship, were at full power. A sudden hiss made Tony jump as the door hissed at the seams and slowly opened to into a ramp. Tony began powering up the repulsors when a voice called from the obscured, steam-clouded opening.

“Don’t shoot! We are unarmed and come in peace!”

It took Tony an unusual two seconds to register the voice, although he did not lower his arms.

“... Bruce?”

“Tony?” Dr. Banner emerged and almost tripped down the ramp as he made his way to Tony who powered down his repulsors and flipped the front of his mask up. He couldn’t stop the grin spreading across his face at the sight of his old friend, his science bro, wearing _his_ black skinny jeans and t-shirt. That was an image he’ll never let himself forget.

“Tony! Oh man, it’s so good to see you!” Dr. Banner wrapped his arms around Tony and quite enthusiastically pulled Tony in for a hug. Tony returned the embrace and laughed.

“It’s good to see you too, Brucie Bear. We all thought you had gone off to the Bahamas. I would have liked to see you hulked-out, laying in swim trunks by the beach, sipping a margarita-”

“I wish that were the case,” Dr. Banner pulled away and took a step back from Tony and the look in his eye was of fear and worry. Tony’s smile slowly slipped but before he could ask what Dr. Banner meant, he caught movement coming from the ship and turned his attention to the tall, dark, cloaked, rugged figure making their way towards them. Beside him was a women dressed in silver and blue armor, black wavy hair flowing behind her, and alien tattoos on her face. The two were followed by what looked like extras from a Shakespearean play -- women, children, men, and was that a walking rock monster??

Bruce followed Tony’s eyes and noticed Heimdall and Brunnhilde coming towards them.

“Tony, these are my friends Heimdall and Val, though I think she would prefer you call her Brunnhilde,” Bruce introduced.

“Heimdall, as in Gatekeeper of Asgard?” Tony raised an eyebrow, recalling the stories Thor shared of his home and his friends. He always had an image of a larger, more refined-looking figure. The man before him was wearing a tattered piece of fabric like a cloak, his hair was a messy bird’s nest, and his face was painted in dirt, grime, and hopefully that was blood.

“That is correct,” Heimdall replied Tony. “Thank you for your assistance with our descent, Mr. …”

“Tony. Just Tony,” Tony offered his hand and Heimdall gave it a strange look before taking it in his. The two shared a brief look before breaking off their handshake. Heimdall’s golden eyes were unnerving to Tony. Based on the mythology he brushed up on after the introduction of Thor to Earth, he knew that Heimdall could see everything, and that made Tony nervous. He didn’t like someone knowing everything about him, but Heimdall didn’t speak any further so for now, he figured he could trust the man.

“Pleasure to meet you, Tony. Dr. Banner here has said great things about you and your prowess with machines,” the woman beside Heimdall nodded her head respectfully.

“So uh … what brings you to Norway?” Tony asked. The sirens of Norwegian police were getting louder.

“Asgard, Thor’s home planet, was destroyed. We managed to get as many people out as we could while fighting his sister Hela. And then …” Dr. Banner’s words slowly trailed off and Tony noticed everyone, literally everyone, look down solemnly. He felt his blood go cold.

“Is Thor … “

“Oh, Thor’s fine! He’s actually resting right now, on the ship,” Dr. Banner said, gesturing towards the ship as he spoke.

“Then why does everyone look like they just found out Santa Clause isn’t real?”

Dr. Banner turned to Brunnhilde, who turned to Heimdall, who let out a long sigh and regarded Tony with very, very sad golden eyes.

“We were attacked by Thanos’ henchmen. In order to save Thor, to save the people of Asgard, Prince Loki sacrificed himself.”

“Loki? As in, puny-god-bag-of-cats?” Tony said incredulously, glancing back at Dr. Banner who nodded in response.

“He’s not the same guy who threw you out the window, Tony. He helped us escape Sakaar, he brought this ship to Asgard to save the people, he even helped us fight Hela. And he didn’t even stab Thor, not once! The big guy trusts him now, so do I.”

Tony looked at Dr. Banner and all doubt of mind-trickery at the hands of the God of Mischief were erased from his mind. If the big guy, who flung Loki around like a ragdoll and made Loki-shaped divots in his floor, trusted him then Tony would question no further. For now.

The sirens came to a stop and Tony turned around to see Norwegian police timidly standing beside their patrol cars, unsure of what to make of the scene before them.

“I’ll handle them. You guys get settled, maybe wake up Thor so I can talk to him,” Tony instructed before turning and walking towards the police.

“Where’s Cap? Where are the other Avengers?” Dr. Banner asked and Tony stilled. He took a deep breath before responding.

“We had a civil war. We’re not on speaking terms,” he said in a voice so low Dr. Banner barely heard it, but the emotion in Tony’s voice told him to question no further.

Talks with the Norwegians went smoothly and Tony managed to secure temporary refuge for the Asgardian people in a nearby small town. Thor had managed to wake up and joined Tony in talking with the country’s officials in ensuring his people’s safety as well as expressing his gratitude. Tony would steal glances at Thor and noticed his bright blue eyes were dim, dark bags under his eyes prominent underneath cuts and bruises, and the usual cheery, bright aura was no longer apparent. He must be mourning for his brother, Tony decided. Thor always had a soft spot for Loki.

_Sir, Director Fury has made numerous attempts to contact you._

“Give me a summary, J,” Tony sighed. He brought his metal-encased hand to gently rub his temple. He did not have enough coffee in his system to deal with the pirate-director at the moment.

_SHIELD radars picked up chatter of an unknown spaceship landing in Norway. He has deployed Captain Rogers and Miss Romanoff to gather information regarding the situation. They will be arriving in an hour. He has also requested that you share any information you have with the two._

“Thanks J. Remind me to hightail it home twenty minutes before their ETA,” Tony instructed.

Thor and the captain of the local Norwegian shook hands and the officers helped Asgardians load into busses to be transported to the nearby village for shelter.

“Thank you, Stark, for helping my people. I cannot tell you how much it means to me to have you as my shield brother,” Thor placed a strong hand on Tony’s shoulder and gave him what looked like a really bad attempt at a fake smile, but Tony could tell that Thor meant every word he said.

“No problem, Thor. If you or your people need anything, just let me know. I can get construction workers here in a day to help build you whatever facilities you need.”

Thor nodded in appreciation and turned to speak to Heimdall and Brunnhilde who were unloading supply crates from the ship.

“Tony,” Dr. Banner stepped up beside Tony. “The people who took Loki, they’re bad news. I have a feeling something bad is going to happen.”

Tony nodded. He shouldn’t be surprised -- first HYDRA, then the fight with Rogers, and now Asgard is destroyed.

“I’ll talk to Thor about it. In the meantime, let’s get his people settled in before we make any game plans,” Tony said and paused before announcing,” I gotta go. Rogers and Romanoff are on their way. Tell them what you want. I’ll be at the Tower.”

Tony turned to engage his thrusters when a hand around his forearm stopped him.

“Tony, what happened between you and Cap?”

“... Come by the Tower and I’ll tell you,” Tony responded quietly before he lowered his face plate with a soft clang and turned around. The hold on his arm disappeared and he shot up into the sky, disappearing among the light grey cloud. He had JARVIS ring Pepper as his HUD informed him of his appointment.

Elsewhere, in an unknown and distant part of space, Loki lay in a small cell. His arms were chained to the wall above his head, his hair hanging in limp strands over his face, his armor torn to shreds and barely managing to hang onto his thin frame. His vambraces had been removed and thin scars, some still bleeding, were visible all across his forearm. There was blood everywhere, caking the side of his face and dripping from the wound in his side. His back was pressed against the wall, staining it in blood from the whip marks and burns of his previous torture session. The door to his cell opened abruptly and Loki visibly flinched but did not raise his head to see Ebony Maw enter the cell.

“Time to play, little Prince.”


	3. Chapter 3

Loki was awoken from his post-torture haze by screams not of his own, the chains binding his wrists together above his head rattling softly as he lifted his head to listen more carefully. His hair hung in front of his face like a dirty black curtain, hiding behind them bloodshot eyes of a faded pale green. 

The screams stopped.

Loki wondered who, or what, had become Ebony Maw’s newest plaything. He himself had been the subject of Maw’s utmost attention, enduring pain like never before and was brought to the brink of physical destruction countless of times. In his mind, he imagined the same being done to the man (based on the screaming) in Maw’s torture chamber. 

The door to his cell was flung open and a heap of red and navy fabric was flung to wall to Loki’s right, a soft groan escaping the bearded man’s cut lips. With his head still hung low, Loki’s eyes drifted to the side and widened by a fraction at the sight of the time stone, glowing green at the center of an eye-shaped pendant around the man’s neck. 

“Thanos will see you shortly, insolent mortal,” Maw sneered, his beady eyes drifting down to the broken god kneeling in the center of the room, head bowed in beaten submission. 

Retreated footsteps and a loud clang of the door gave Loki a chance to breathe again -- it seems he had been spared from pain today. Forcing his body to straighten caused several gashes along his spine to split open, but he was used to the pain and made no indication of feeling as such.

“What are you,” he inquired. His voice was hoarse from screaming his lungs out yet retained the regality of the godly status he clung to and held tightly onto every time Maw disassembled him.

The mess of red and navy revealed a long-faced, bearded man. His hair was meticulously tussled upwards with streaks of silver and his face well-groomed. High cheekbones and calculating eyes drew Loki’s attention away from the cuts and scars littered around the neck and cheeks of the man.

“Sorcerer Supreme of Earth.”

Loki couldn’t help but chuckle, however considering his condition it resulted in more of a wheeze than anything.

“Sorcerer? I wasn’t aware Midgard had any of those.”

“So it’s true, then. You gave yourself up to save Thor. To save Asgard.”

At the mention of his brother’s name, any signs of humor drained away from Loki’s face and he felt a painful tug in his heart. Knowing that his brother was safe kept him going day after day aboard this vessel of suffering. He gave no response to the wizard and kept his eyes trained on the floor in a visible attempt to curb his emotions.

“That creature attacked New York in order to retrieve this for Thanos. I suspect someone else has been sent after the stone embedded in Vision’s forehead.”

Loki looked up, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Vision? Forehead? There was another stone on Midgard?

“You speak of no sense, mortal.”

“Strange.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“My name is Stephen Strange.”

“Very well. What is this ‘vision’ you speak of, Strange?”

Strange made himself comfortable against the cold, stone wall and recounted the events starting from the end of the Chitauri invasion to the appearance of Maw in New York. Loki sagged against the chains in relief once Strange informed him that the stolen Sakarrian ship had landed in Norway (with the aid of Iron Man) safely and no one was harmed. 

“Then I was brought up here. Maw tried to take the stone out of the Eye of Agamotto but he wasn’t aware of the spell I had cast on it. Thanos will never get his hands on it.”

“He will find a way. He always does,” Loki muttered under his breath loud enough for Strange to hear. Sighing softly, he shifted his weight and grunted in pain when the skin around his left shoulder blade was tugged at, tearing open a new wound to accompany the poorly healed burn scar. Strange did a quick catalogue of Loki’s current predicament as well as his physical appearance and stood from where he had been sitting. Through the strands of long, black hair covering his face, Loki watched as Strange unclipped the flowing red cape from his shoulders and draped it gently over his back. 

Being of frost giant lineage, Loki had never been troubled with cold temperatures. The warmth provided by the cloak eased the pain in the wounds on his back and, surprisingly, brought a small smile to his chapped, bloody lips.

“You are from New York, you said? Is it wise to show kindness to one who attempted to rule your planet and successfully turned your city to rubble?”

“Attempted, being the key word. And if you had wanted to destroy New York, you wouldn’t have let Erik Selvig install that failsafe in the portal stabilizer,” Strange huffed in amusement. 

Loki narrows his eyes in both surprise and offense.

“I didn’t tell him to install that failsafe, if that’s what you’re insinuating. I simply left enough of his consciousness untampered with to allow him the cognitive ability to install it himself,” Loki hissed.

“Whatever you say,” Strange chuckled.

After a moment of silence, Loki inhaled deeply through his nose and his face morphed into what Strange had recalled seeing in the SHIELD footage of Loki during his stay aboard the helicarrier. 

“You say you’re a sorcerer. How about you use whatever Midgardian magic it is you wield to get these chains off me.”

Strange gazed at Loki with inquisitive eyes and saw that behind the mischievous smirk and mirth-filled calculating eyes, there was a darkness and pain that he could not read into. He had already decided that Loki was not a threat, but given the myths and stories and reputation surrounding the god, Strange couldn’t help but be doubtful of Loki’s words. After all, the nickname “Liesmith” had to have some sort of origin.

“Even if I wanted to, my magic has been negated by these beautiful accessories,” Strange said as he held up both arms to display large metal cuffs adorning his wrist. The smirk slid off Loki’s face as he realized that those were the very cuffs he wore when he was first brought to Thanos after his fall from the Bifrost. He remembered the weight of them on his wrist, the incessant clawing at the openings that resulted in bloodied fingernails and raw, chafed skin. 

“Then you are of no use to me,” Loki sighed in unwilling defeat. 

The two sat in silence for what seemed like hours. Loki tensed when his ears picked up the sound of footsteps growing louder. He painfully rolled his shoulders back, causing the now warm cloak to fall to the ground. Strange raised an eyebrow from where he sat against the wall off to Loki’s right.

“It would be better if they were unaware of our mutual understanding,” Loki said.

Strange leaned forward and gripped the edge of the cloak, pulling it back to him and refastening it around his shoulders just as the cell door swung open. Another member of the Black Order stepped forward and unfastened the chain suspending Loki’s arms above his head from the cuffs around his wrist. Falling to the ground like a sack of potatoes, Loki hissed in pain when he landed on his left shoulder, the feeling of warm blood trickling down his back only confirming that his wound had reopen. 

Loki was dragged out of the cell by a painful grip to his forearm. The walk through dark corridors was a familia one and Loki did his best to fortify his mind and resolve for the torture he knew was awaiting him in Maw’s torture chambers. Cold jagged stone dug into his injury-littered back as he was flung unceremoniously onto the stone slab in the middle of the room, his cuffed hands secured to a chain at one end of the slab and ankles fastened similarly at the other. Loki let his head fall back against the hard stone in surrender to the inevitable pain he knew was coming. His last thought, just as scorching hot flames licked his raw and batter skin and his raw throat let loose a scream of agony, was of his beloved brother Thor safely on Midgard and the people of Asgard under the protection of the Avengers.

 

(on Midgard)

 

Tony refused to be in the same room as Rogers, thus he was currently sitting on the couch in his Malibu living room video-calling into the meeting between the World Security Council, King T’Challa, Nick Fury on behalf of what was known as SHIELD, and Rogers on behalf of his ragtag group of vigilantes. 

“We have confirmed that the Black Order has taken Dr. Steven Strange. Damage control is on its way to New York to handle the property damage and assist with the wounded. So far, no casualties have been reported.”

“Dr. Strange was in possession of what is known as the Time Stone. We can only assume that he will be after the Mind Stone next,” Fury noted. Even through a video call with all eyes trained on a camera, Tony felt as if Fury’s one single eye was aimed straight at him.

“Vision will be safe in Wakanda,” T’Challa said. 

Tony let out a soft scoff but played it off as a cough. The WSC had ordered that Vision surrender to King T’Challa’s protection in Wakanda after the political aftermath of the fight between Iron Man and Captain America. Tony was later rescued from the bunker in Siberia, but the damage that Rogers had done to his suit, his mental state, and his faith in what he had called “friends” was irreversible. 

“And what of Thor?” Rogers asked.

“Dr. Banner has informed us that Thor is currently preoccupied with the Asgardian resettlement. I don’t doubt that if shit hits the fan, he will come to our aid. For now though, let’s try to work with what we have.” Everett Ross replies. 

Bruce had sent Tony a bunch of updates as well, including supply requests for building materials, food, and technology. He also pointed out that despite being busy with helping the Asgardians settle into their new home, Thor was showing clear signs of depression. Tony couldn’t blame him, though. The god lost his home, his family, an eye, and his beloved hammer. The last straw, though, was his brother. 

At the thought of Loki, Tony couldn’t help but feel a phantom stab in his gut. The guy threw him out of his penthouse window, fucked up a good portion of New York … but his intentions were never evil. Tony understood that now. As crazy and power-hungry as Loki is, he was strategic in his decisions and knew how to play work the system in his favor.

He’s an outcast. A loner. Like me.

“Stark!”

Fury’s clipped bark startles Tony out of his thoughts.

“I’m sorry, did someone call my name? Is this meeting over? I have actual work to get to, you know, being the owner of a multi-billion dollar company and all. Emphasis on the billion,” Tony said hastily as he reached for the cup of coffee on the table beside him and sipping it as obnoxiously as he could.

Even through a holographic screen, the utter frustration aimed at Tony from Rogers was almost tangible and it made him smile behind his cup.

“We need you to figure out a way to detect Thanos. If we can track his movements, we might have a shot as catching him by surprise. Be a step ahead of him. We can’t let him get his hands on Vision.” 

“Aye aye, Captain,” Tony said, his words dripping with loathing and his hand raised in a mock solute. He held the gesture of disrespect for a second longer than necessary before disconnecting the call.

Almost immediately, Tony called Bruce and filled him in on what was going on. 

“Does Thor know anything that might help us against Thanos?”

“I dunno, Tony. I’m worried that bringing him up might trigger some bad memories. The other night, Val and I found him in the middle of a nightmare. You should have seen it, the amount of lightning cascading off of him. A couple power generators went out and a tree outside caught on fire and-”

“I get it. Whenever you think it’s a good time, just give me a call. Any information about Thanos, his game plan, or his tech would be helpful.”

“Got it. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thanks, Brucie. I miss you, buddy.”

Bruce laughed and responded with similar sentiments. 

“Hey, can I ask the big guy a question?”

“I can’t guarantee an answer, but go ahead.”

“What does the big guy think of Loki?”

There was a minute of silence before Bruce responded, and when he did it was in a whisper.

“Look, don’t tell Thor I told you but I overheard him talking to Heimdall about Loki the other day. Apparently Loki suffered some serious physical torture and abuse when he was with Thanos. I don’t know the specifics but the damage on his body made a big guy like Thor tremble. Sacrificing himself to save us, putting himself in the line of fire before the rest of Asgard, willingly submitting to probably more torture -- Hulk may have disliked Loki for trying to take over Earth but I don’t think he ever hated him. I can tell Hulk definitely feels protective and wants to get him back, but that might be because he hates seeing Thor so sad.”

Tony was speechless and Bruce patiently waited for a response, if any. His mind was trying to process the new information at a rate his emotions could not keep up with, which left Tony confused and upset and quite frankly sympathetic. Tony Stark did not do sympathy, not until now.

“Alright … thanks Bruce. Give Thor a hug for me when you see him, yeah?”

“Will do. Take care, Tony.”

Once the call disconnected, Tony let his head fall onto the back of the couch with a loud sigh and closed his eyes. Shit was really hitting the fan- no, screw the fan. Shit was going through the roof and he needed to get to work. He hated taking orders from the WSC, from Fury, and especially from Rogers. 

But pride and ego and team bullshit aside, the world was at stake and he wasn’t about to let some purple-faced alien (according to Bruce, he was purple) with a big gold glove and shiny stones fuck up his planet.

“Bring it on, Space Grape.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy new year. loki, my special snowflake blue-bby-icicle, is getting his own tv show and being recognized by marvel as a hero and i stan a good stabby boi.


End file.
